


I Loved You In My Previous Life

by Immortalnite



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Dreamxxdream, Reincarnation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-30
Updated: 2017-10-01
Packaged: 2018-11-21 09:46:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11354919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Immortalnite/pseuds/Immortalnite
Summary: Everyone dies, but not everyone comes back.Eren... he's just really damn lucky this time around.Inspired by dreamxxdream'sreincarnation au





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Reincarnation AU](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/303630) by Dreamxxdream. 



> Please look at Nadine aka dreamxxdream's [reincarnation au ](http://dreamxxdream.tumblr.com/tagged/reincarnation-au)because that is the source material for all of this and also her art is so beautiful I cried over it. Several times.

Screams.  
  
Blood.  
  
Hot, steaming, boiling blood that burnt the flesh and left little red marks that faded almost instantly on my skin.  
  
Screams.  
  
Cries.  
  
Each time the cries of grief were a bit quieter, one less voice added to the mix.  
  
Screams.  
  
Clashes.  
  
The clatter of metal as dull blade after dull blade was cast aside, chunks of steaming flesh still stuck to them.  
  
Screams.  
  
Chewing.  
  
The crunch of massive teeth over human bones, bones that used to belong to a comrade, a compatriot, a friend.  
  
Screams.  
  
Green.  
  
The leaves in the forest, the jackets on their backs, green crossed over with wings that seemed to flap as they flew on the backs from tree to tree on cables and gas and desperate hope.  
  
Screams.  
  
Voices.  
  
One voice that drowned out all the rest to my ears, a voice filled with pain and emotion and a selflessly selfish fear for me, a voice I could never forget even if I lived a thousand lives.  
  
I woke up.


	2. Chapter 2

I sat bolt upright in my bed, the crescent birthmark on my hand throbbing. Without a thought I brought it to my mouth, trying to sooth it with my teeth. I could feel the sweat that had formed on my brow and upper lip and my breath was unsteady.  
  
It never got easier and it never went away. The dreams always had this effect on me. It had seemed worse when I was younger and would wake with screams and half forgotten names on my lips, inconsolable to my parents.  
  
The worst nights back then were the ones where I dreamt of my my mother's death. I'd wake up blubbering about my mother and those nights, absolutely nothing could calm me.  
  
As I'd gotten older, I'd stopped telling people about the dreams. I'd still wake up in a cold sweat with foreign names on my lips, but the screams abated and I could calm myself without waking anyone else.   
  
  
  
I fell back into my bed, rolling onto my stomach and letting a muffled groan out into my pillow. My phone dinged as if in response to my groan. I swatted it blindly off my nightstand and rolled off the opposite edge of my bed, completely forgetting my wooden floors.  
  
Rubbing the back of my head, I stumbled into the kitchen and opened the fridge, a note from my mom fluttering off. The note was a grocery list, reinforced by the sparse pickings in the fridge before me. Time to go do that, I guess.  
  
A few minutes later and I had my grocery list stuffed into my backpack, one hand on the doorknob, when I remembered my phone. I sighed and turned back to grab it off the floor. The notification was something from facebook, therefore, I decided, it could wait. I stuffed it in my back pocket and pulled the back of my jacket down over it. Time to go.  
  
The sun was illegally bright, I thought as I stepped out and locked the front door. It caught the ice crystals in my breath. I knew that it would be busy where I was headed anyway, however. Not that the time of day really made too much of a difference in how busy those sidewalks were. I jogged most of the way towards the plaza where I was headed and joined the crowd. I turned south, away from the grocery store but in the direction of my favourite cafe. My stomach demanded to be heard first and who was I to say no to that?  
  
I crossed the last street in between me and my breakfast and turned the corner, awning finally in sight, when my world came to a screeching halt.  
  
There he was.  
  
Short black hair, shaved underneath, brown leather straps crisscrossing beige pants, a cropped brown jacket over a white button up shirt, boots that gave him an extra bit of height, but not enough make him tall.  
  
Except not.  
  
Now he was wearing a black jacket over dark jeans, a soft grey scarf peeking out around his throat. His shoes were just shoes, no extra height. His hand held a phone to his face, not a blade.  
  
But it was him.  
  
My heart squeezed painfully, aching and pounding and I swore I could feel every movement of the muscle in my chest.  
  
Every thought and day dream I'd had about this situation flew out of my mind in an instant. I'd told myself I wouldn't make it weird, because he might not remember anything. They don't always remember.  
  
But it was too late for that. My feet were already running, pounding against the pavement and dodging people in the crowd until I stopped, mere feet in front of him.  
  
"Captain!"  
  
There was silence. Something hot ran down my face and I realised I was crying. He turned, eyes burning at whoever had dared interrupt his phone conversation and my heart clenched again. Maybe I had been wrong?  
  
But then his eyes widened and I saw his lips move, and the phone lowered. His next words I felt rather than heard.  
  
"Eren."  
  
My hands were reaching out to him before I knew what was happening and he was in my arms. One hand was at his neck, silky black strands in between my fingers and my other hand was around his waist, pulling him into me. I held him tightly, like he would disappear if I let him go for even a moment.  
  
After a beat, I felt his arms go around me, clutching at my shoulders, fingers digging in almost painfully at my shoulders. His head fit perfectly into the hollow of my shoulder. Warm, solid, real.  
  
"Shit. You're tall." Levi spoke, his voice muffled but still exactly the same as I remembered it. I almost laughed; of course my adult self would be taller than my fifteen year old self had been. I could have easily rested my chin on his head now.  
  
But I didn't dare, a combination of not wanting to move and a fear of him kneeing me in the balls if I tried it. Instead I just pushed my nose into his hair, breathing in his scent. Clean and cold, with a hint of rain and pine. Exactly how I remembered it.  
  
"How old are you?" His face was still in my shoulder but he didn't seem inclined to move away.  
  
"Twenty. I'm 20." I closed my eyes, letting my senses drown in Levi. "You?"  
  
"31." He let out a breath and stepped back. "Where were you going?"  
  
My fingers twitched, wanting to grab at him again. "Huh?"  
  
He sighed. "Where were you headed to before you saw me?"  
  
"Oh, um, there." I pointed to the little shop, my stomach rumbling at the reminder that it was empty.  
  
Levi nodded and turned, looking back at me to make sure I followed. I walked with him into the cafe in a sort of daze. He shrugged out of his jacket, handing it to me with his scarf.  
  
"Go pick out a table, Eren." There was the tiniest bit of hesitation when he said my name, the only hint that maybe he was as rattled? Shook? Amazed? As I was.  
  
I picked a table by the window, draping Levi's jacket and scarf over the back of one of the chairs. I shrugged off my own jacket, toeing my backpack under the table.  
  
I sat down and looked at the chair across from me. For a moment, it could have been any day. I could have been sitting down while some cute guy I had met at college got us coffee, a stranger in all but name and face. Two normal people, wanting to know each other better.  
  
Levi sat down then, breaking my trace. There was a quiet clink as he set down two cups. He slid one across the table to me, the light brown liquid inside steaming merrily.  
  
"Thanks." I wrapped my fingers around the warm cup, suddenly unsure.  
  
"This should be obvious, but," Levi shifted and draped an arm across the back of his chair. "Don't call me captain. Sounds creepy as hell."  
  
"Ah, yes, sir-" I broke off when he shot me a severely unimpressed look. "Uhm, Levi."  
  
Levi made a quiet noise of affirmation. He took a sip then and the motion was so familiar it made my heart clench. For an instant, he looked exactly as he had back then.  
  
Sitting at a worn table in an equally beaten chair, cropped light brown jacket, crossed wings on the shoulders. A cravat holding it closed at the top, hanging over a white button up, a strap of the harness just visible underneath across his chest.  
  
But this was now, and the table and chair were both practically new. A dusky blue cardigan the same colour as the wings hung over a white v-neck. The cravat was replaced with a scarf over the back of his chair.  
  
I took a sip of my coffee, dropping my eyes from him and trying to calm my heart. The coffee was good, with the right amount of cream and sugar that I usually liked. Had he guessed or remembered? I'd only had coffee with him a few times in the past.  
  
I set the cup down. I could feel silver eyes burning into me.  
  
"Do you live here?" I asked, my voice thankfully steady.  
  
"Yeah." He glanced down at his cup to see how much he had left. "With my wife and our three kids."  
  
My mind raced and my stomach dropped. Had i been wrong to think- no, that was silly. Of course I had. No reasonable person would wait thirty years for someone they didn't know existed. I felt dizzy, sick, like crying. Maybe this whole thing had been a mistake? Should I have just walked past him like he didnt exist?  
  
"You're married? That's," I tried to swallow around my suddenly dry voice, trying to force a smile. "That sounds gr-"  
  
"Of course not." Levi almost barked, his words clipped. I looked up at him, surprised.  
  
"For fuck's sake." His face was exasperated, with a hint of amusement. "I was joking."  
  
"Oh." I looked down, still feeling sick and dizzy.  
  
"Calm down, Eren." He huffed. "You look like you haven't taken a shit in three weeks."  
  
Such a familiar word from his lips that I laughed a little.  
  
"My bad." I looked at him, holding catching his gaze and holding it. Hopefully I wouldn't start crying again. "But it's hard not to be nervous, you know? I've been waiting for this for so many years."  
  
Levi didn't say a word but his eyes told me everything. They were filled with sadness, so much sadness, and loneliness, and longing. It was everything I had also felt, trapped in a world of living strangers while dreaming of a world of dying friends. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Also updated previous chapters to fit the storyline better!

He looked down at his cup for a moment, fingers shifting slightly. He looked back up at me.

"The first part was true." Levi looked back up at me. "I live here. I moved about a year ago because Erwin pestered me until I finally agreed to work for him."

I leaned forward at Erwin's name, ignoring every blood-soaked flashback that tried to push to the forefront of my mind. "The commander, you found him?"

Levi snorted. "Yeah, the "commander". Planning to call him that in public?"

"Uh... no." My face flushed. 

The side of Levi's mouth quirked up. 

"I met him and Hanji when I was in high school. They set off all this shit that's been in my head ever since. At least I got them back by returning the favor." He shrugged one shoulder. 

"Wait... You mean you didn't remember anything until you were... 15? 16?"

Levi shook his head. "16. And no, I didn't."

"Huh." My eyes widened. In high school? He'd lived half of his life up to this point totally oblivious to his past? Not plagued by screaming nightmares and cannibalistic monsters, human and otherwise? He'd been able to have a normal childhood, a normal life up until high school. It barely made any sense to me. But I let it go, for now, knowing I could always ask about it again later. After all, there was no way I would let Levi slip away from me now that I'd found him again.  
"What kind of work are you doing?"

"Erwin's company is specialized in sustainable energy. Developing and marketing new technologies. I'm just the IT guy. A ridiculously overpaid IT guy." Levi said it with a familiar exasperation, the very special branch of Levi's Exasperation that was exclusively reserved for the commander, or rather, Erwin, whenever he did something particularly Erwin-esque.

Still, an IT guy at a technology based company sounded like a pretty important job, well worth a big paycheck. "Overpaid?"

"I've never seen a college from the inside. Yet he still pays me like I accepted one of those fancy positions he tried to force on me at first." Levi grimaced. "Tch. At least he's like that with everyone. Whatever helps him sleep at night."

"Heh." Yeah, that sounded like Erwin alright. "Uhm. By "everyone"... do you mean there are others?"

"I don't know what you "remember", or whatever you call it." Levi looked down. "But you would probably recognise a lot of my coworkers."

"Who-"

"Is this some sort of interview?" Levi snapped.

I froze. Closing my mouth, I moved back in my chair, having unconsciously shifted forward to lean across the table as I talked. 

"What about you? Your turn, Eren." His tone was softer, almost fond.

"Okay." I relaxed. "The house I grew up in is at the edge of the city. I'm at college now but I still live there with my parents. I've known Mikasa and Armin since I was six." 

I paused, unsure. "Do you know who they are?"

"I do." Levi looked down when I said their names, undecipherable emotions in his eyes.

"I thought so. I also met some others from that time." I started to smile, remembering my first meetings with everyone else, remembering their brighter smiles and laughter. "Like Connie and Sasha. Jean. Historia."

"How are they?" Levi interrupted me, his voice calm but underlined with something I couldn't quite hear. 

"Pretty good. Armin is majoring in marine biology. Mikasa could still kick anyone's ass if she wanted to. Connie and Sasha are dating. Historia found her girlfriend from that time. I think you didn't know her." I was grinning widely now. "Jean's an annoying prick but we get along on good days."

"I see. That's good." Levi wasn't quite smiling, but his mouth was turned up and his face was relaxed. He looked happy, relieved. "Tell me more about you and the other kids."

"Sure."

 

 

 


End file.
